Bill C-39 · 44th Parliament · Justin Trudeau
An Act to amend An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying)
Government bill. Became law.
- IntroducedFeb. 2, 2023
- Debated in principleFeb. 15, 2023
- Studied by a committeeDone
- Passed its first chamberFeb. 15, 2023
- Passed the second chamberMarch 9, 2023
- Became lawMarch 9, 2023
Leading supporters
Ranked by the part each played: who is responsible for the bill, who carried it, and who spoke for it most.
- Justin TrudeauPrime Minister
Who carries this bill
Arrows run from the person responsible to those who answer to them on this bill. The critic leads the Senate’s scrutiny and answers to no one on it.
What it set out to do
The Library of Parliament does not prepare Legislative Summaries for self-explanatory measures. The following is a short summary: On 2 February 2023, the Minister of Justice introduced Bill C-39, An Act to amend An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying), and it was given first reading. Bill C-39 amends An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying) to delay, until March 17, 2024, the repeal of the exclusion from eligibility for receiving medical assistance in dying in circumstances where the sole underlying medical condition identified in support of the request for medical assistance in dying is a mental illness.
Summary by the Library of Parliament.
Where members stand
Votes and debate for this bill have not been read yet.
How it changed on the way
77% of the text as introduced was changed or removed by the time it became law (228 words introduced, 187 passed).
minor changeintent kept
The bill kept its core purpose of delaying the mental-illness exclusion repeal to 17 March 2024. The only textual shift replaced the original coming-into-force wording with the concrete calendar date.
- The coming-into-force clause was updated from a relative anniversary to the fixed date already stated in the bill's purpose.
Before: “6 Subsection 1(2.1) comes into force on the second anniversary of the day on which this Act receives royal assent.”
After: “6 Subsection 1(2.1) comes into force on March 17, 2024.”
How precisely it is written
preciseChallenging the law: HardDisputing a charge: Hard
The bill replaces one section with a single fixed date for a numbered subsection to come into force. No subjective standards, undefined terms or discretionary language appear.
Clear-cut
“Subsection 1(2.1) comes into force on March 17, 2024.”
It specifies an exact calendar date and a numbered subsection reference without qualifiers or conditions.
Discretion. No authority is delegated to ministers, officials or regulations; the coming-into-force date is set directly by statute.
Challenging the law itself. A fixed statutory date engages neither vagueness nor overbreadth under the Charter and leaves little interpretive room for challenge.
Disputing a charge under it. Whether the subsection has come into force on the stated date is a binary factual question with no scope for argument over standards or intent.
Read by a language model from the royal assent text; every quoted phrase appears in the bill. A reading of the drafting, not legal advice.
Did it work?
effective
Bill C-39 received royal assent on March 9, 2023, and successfully delayed the repeal of the mental illness exclusion for MAID eligibility until March 17, 2024, as confirmed by subsequent legislation and parliamentary records. Parliamentary committees reviewed system readiness during this period and recommended further extensions, which Parliament enacted via Bill C-62.
- Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (AMAD) Report 3 (January 2024)reviewThe committee confirmed that Bill C-39 had extended the exclusion to March 17, 2024, and concluded the health system was not prepared, recommending further delay.
- Government of Canada news release on Bill C-39 royal assent (March 2023)reviewBill C-39 received royal assent and immediately extended the temporary exclusion until March 17, 2024, to allow more time for system preparation.
- Library of Parliament Legislative Summary for Bill C-62 (2024)reviewBill C-39 pushed the repeal date to March 17, 2024; the subsequent Bill C-62 further extended it to 2027 following AMAD's assessment of readiness.
- AMAD Committee Report (45-1, 2026)reviewReports reference Bill C-39's one-year extension from March 2023 to 2024 and note ongoing reviews of MAID for mental illness eligibility.
Who lobbied on it
No lobbying registration naming this bill is loaded.
Stages and dates from LEGISinfo.